Do you have an old wheelbarrow at home that you no longer use? You don't have to throw them away, you can plant plants in your wheelbarrow and get an attractive decorative element for your garden. Find out how it works below.
How to plant a wheelbarrow?
To plant a wheelbarrow, you should first prepare it by cleaning it, removing rust, and painting it with environmentally friendly paint. Then drill drainage holes in the ground, fill the wheelbarrow with a bottom layer of stones and then top with soil. Lastly, plant small, shallow-rooted plants or vegetables in the wheelbarrow.
Planting the wheelbarrow step by step
- Metal drill
- Gloves
- maybe. Brush
- Foil for covering
- Brush
- Sandpaper for metal
- environmentally friendly paint for spraying or painting
- Substrate
1. Preparation
Before you turn your wheelbarrow into a flower bed, you should make sure that moisture cannot harm it. Therefore, it is advisable to delete them. You can skip this step, but then you have to live with the fact that your wheelbarrow will rust.
First clean your wheelbarrow thoroughly with a brush and a little water. Allow it to dry and then roughen the surface with sandpaper. Remove any rust spots as best as possible.
2. Drainage
Now drill several holes in the bottom of the wheelbarrow so that excess rainwater can drain away. This is very important because almost all plants are extremely sensitive to waterlogging.
3. Paint the wheelbarrow
Put some foil or newspaper under the wheelbarrow in case the paint drips and paint or spray your wheelbarrow with paint as you wish (€16.00 at Amazon). Also paint the inside of your wheelbarrow so that the damp earth cannot harm it. Only use non-toxic paints, especially if you want to plant the wheelbarrow with vegetables or herbs. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly before continuing (follow manufacturer's instructions!).
4. Fill wheelbarrow with soil
Before filling your wheelbarrow, you should put it in its final location. Once the wheelbarrow has been planted, it becomes much more difficult to move, especially if the wheel no longer works.
Put several centimeters of stones, broken ceramics or expanded clay in the wheelbarrow as the bottom layer. This layer prevents the drainage holes from clogging and provides additional protection against waterlogging.
Then fill the wheelbarrow with soil up to just below the edge. If you want to plant vegetables or heavy-feeding plants, mix some compost into the soil.
5. Plant wheelbarrow
Now put the plants in the wheelbarrow. Only choose small or shallow-rooted plants and ensure there is sufficient planting distance. You can also sow plants directly in your wheelbarrow.
Pay attention to the choice of location! Most plants feel most comfortable in a sunny to partially shaded location.
